The Parrot Trap
The Parrot Trap is the third part of episode 36 of season 2, which aired on April 22, 1998. In this episode, Dexter invents a parrot that makes self-congratulatory comments everytime he speaks. After a while, Dee Dee's echoes get into the robotic parrot's brain, making it flat out obnoxious. Plot The episode begins with Dexter tending to a giant egg while whiling away the time doing some knitting, until a nearby egg-timer chimes. Dexter is really excited as he uses his machines to catapult the egg onto an egg cup, after which he inspects it carefully with a stethoscope, and then cracks up the egg, until it explodes, startling Dexter at first, but then revealing a large robotic parrot inside. Dexter is proud of his new creation, calling himself a genius, and the robot parrot immediately copies his phrases in his own voice. A moment afterwards, Dexter is working on a computer chip while feeding self-indulgent phrases to the parrot at is copies each of them so that Dexter would always have someone to compliment him during his work. While working and speaking to his parrot robot, he doesn't realize Dee Dee has once again entered his lab and is now right beside him as he keeps working and speaking self-praise to himself and his robot, much to her displeasure, especially once he starts saying degrading things about her to the parrot, so she leaves to play around the rest of the lab whilst Dexter comments that he finally has invented something to have an intelligent conversation with, only regretting not having thought of it sooner. Suddenly the alarms start blaring and he finally hears his sister playing around with more random buttons throughout the lab. Dexter immediately tries to pull her away, telling her to stop, but she easily brushes him aside without turning around several times. Dexter then tries to use force, threatening to punch her with boxing gloves on, saying he's going to bop her one, but once again she just pushes him away without looking. She moves on, laughing and messing around with more of the laboratory as Dexter angrily shouts for her to get out. When Dee Dee starts inspecting a test tube full of pink liquid, Dexter calls to her, and she sees that Dexter is holding up a chocolate chip cookie. Seeing the cookie immediately captivates Dee Dee, and she starts singlemindedly running towards it at an increasing speed while Dexter leans casually against the entrance to the lab. Just as Dee Dee gets close, Dexter quickly opens the door and tosses the cookie outside, and Dee Dee zips after it, while Dexter immediately shuts the door, once again locking her out. Going back to work, he comments that he alaways feels good whenever he sees Dee Dee leave the lab like she did moments ago. But while working, he suddenly hears Dee Dee's voice again, and instinctively shouts for her to get out again, but sees that she isn't in the lab at all. Wondering where the voice came from after hearing it again, he gets a hunch and looks to his parrot robot, who then says an insulting phrase about Dexter obviously picked up from Dee Dee while she was in the lab by saying "Dexter's a stupid girl!," mixing up what Dexter and Dee Dee said respectively. Dexter tries to correct the robot with another praise, but instead it responds with the now-famous line: "Dexter's a cookie!" to which he responds "I am not a cookie!," but it repeats the same phrase again, and when Dexter shouts that he isn't a cookie again, the robot replies: "Are too, cookie!" Out of frustration, Dexter gives the robot a violent shake, but it then says: "I'm gonna bop you one, girl!" based off what he said when trying to bop Dee Dee. Dexter angrily slams the parrot robot onto the desk, but it still calls him a cookie, and so he repeatedly whacks it into the desk an unspecified number of times. A while later, Dexter is working again, while his parrot robot is now very banged up from before, having not said a thing, when suddenly it starts flappng it's wings and begins flying about the lab. Dexter however is glad that it's going away, saying it was his worst invention thus far. The parrot slams into the entrance door, causing it to open, and it flies outside, and into the room where Dad is busy watching a fishing show as the robot parrot perches on the top of his chair. Sensing someone was behind him and thinking someone was playfully trying to sneak up behind him, he asks who it is, to which the parrot says it's Dexter in his voice, and once again repeats its "Dexter's a cookie!" line, this time in Dexter's voice. Dad however pays no mind to that and asks "Dexter" to go eleswhere, but the parrot then says that it's going to bop Dad in Dexter's voice again. Dad doesn't turn around, but isn't happy thinking his son is threatening him. When he tries to reprimand "Dexter", however, the parrot starts shouting some of Dexter's insults at him by saying "You are a stupid girl! Get out! Get out! Get out!," making Dad tremble in fear as he crawls away out of the room apologizing. These events go unnoticed by Dexter who is busy ironing his white coats. A while later in the kitch, Mom is preparing a meal, adding ingredients while looking in a recipe book, and doesn't realize the robot parrot has gotten into the room and is recording her words as well. As she continues with the recipe, the parrot chimes in and starts saying random ingredients, which causes Mom to unintentionally add a number of odd ingredients to the bowl, such as pepper, beans, coffee, cookies, and other odd ingredients. When the parrot then recites a phrase from the fishing show, saying "worms and plastic minnows," Mom stops suddenly from the odd statement, but instead of questioning why she would add such ingredients, she instead queries where she could possibly get them. When the parrot says "The Florida Everglades," Mom immediately leaves in her car. (And surprisingly comes back in a short while.) Dexter in the meantime is now vacuuming inside his lab and once again fails to notice the robot parrot in the monitor to the kitchen, showing Dad huddled up and trembling while Mom is mixing up her concoction of mish-mashed ingredtions, while Dee Dee is just running about in the background. Then Dexter suddenly hears the parrot chatting "Dexter's secret! Dexter's secret! Dexter's secret!" and finally realizes that the parrot is loose in the house. Remembering he said a phrase about his secret lab to the parrot, he realizes the bird may well blab his secret to his parents and his lab will be compromised as a result, so he immediately dashes out to stop it. His parents finally take notice of the parrot, noting something unusual about it as Dexter dashes downstairs. Dad askes where it comes from, to which it chimes "A secret! A secret!" which makes Dad ask in determination where it comes from again, just as Dexter tackles it out of his hands, and then proceeds to smash it to the floor, breaking off the beak of the robot. Mom scolds Dexter for throwing the bird, but Dexter tries to justify his actions saying it wasn't a really bird, and then accidently reveals himself that he made it himself in his laboratory, and then clams up upon realizing his mistake. Dee Dee then mocks him saying that now he'll have to erase his parents’ memories once again, while the still-functioning beak of the parrot robot mocks him as well. Trivia Notes *The famous quote of "Dexter's a cookie!"/"I am not a cookie!" has become an internet meme. *Dexter does not tell to his Mom who invented a Rude Removal System in his secret laboratory in the episode "Rude Removal". Cultural References Production Notes *Although "Blackfoot and Slim", "Trapped with a Vengeance" and this episode premiered on April 22, 1998, they were produced in the same year according to the credits. Continuity *Dee Dee reveals at the end of the episode that Dexter has to erase Mom & Dad's memories again. This implies that Dexter has been erasing his parents' memories occasionally. Also in the 39th episode Last But Not Beast, it could indicate another one of the countless times Dexter has had to erase his parents' memories to keep his lab a secret. Goofs/Errors *When Mom went to get worms and plastic minnows to the Florida Everglades, her rubber gloves are missing. *Dexter is seen running from his room to the living room without using the stairs...his room is upstairs,the living room & kitchen is downstairs. Quotes *Dexter: I'm gonna bop you one, Dee Dee! *Fisherman: (on TV) Yup, that's a big 'un, yup yup. That's a big 'un for the Florida Everglades. Next, we'll cover worms and plastic minnows. Yup yup! *Dad: Whoooo's trying to sneak up on me? *Parrot: Dexter, boy genius. Dexter's a cookie! *Dad: Shhh! I'm trying to watch my show. *Parrot: I'm gonna bop you one! *Dad: Now, that is no way to talk to your... *Parrot: Why you stupid girl! Get out! Get out! Get out! Yup, yup, yup. Don't touch anything! *Dad: I-I'm sorry... *Parrot: You're a cookie! Get out! Get out! Get out! *Parrot: Dexter's a cookie! *Dexter: I am not a cookie! *Parrot: Dexter's a cookie! *Dexter: Am not! ---- *'Dad': Now. where do you spouse it came from? *'Dee Dee, Dad & Mom': Hmm. ---- *'Dad': A secret? All right, Mr. Bird, you got some explaining to do? Out with it right now! ---- *'Dad': I'm not going to ask you again. Exactly where did you come from? (Dexter swoops in and grabs the parrot) *'Parrot': Dexter's secret! Dexter's secret! Dexter's secret! ''(Dexter slams the parrot onto the floor, but its beak still works) *'Parrot': Dexter's secret! *'Dad': Dexter! *'Mom': How many times have I told you not to throw the bird? *'Dexter': But, Mom, it's a not a real bird. I built it in my secret laboratory. (Dexter, upon realizing he just blabbed what the parrot didn't, covers his mouth) *'Dee Dee': Smooth move, Dexter. Now you'll have to erase Mom and Dad's memories...again! *'Parrot''': Smooth move, Dexter. Smooth move, Dexter. Smooth move, Dexter. Category:Episodes Category:Season 2 Category:Episodes focusing on Dexter Category:Episodes focusing on Dee Dee Category:Episodes focusing on Dexter's Dad Category:Episodes focusing on Dexter's Mom